The body of a 22-year-old woman who had been missing for over a week while hiking in the San Bernardino Mountains was found and recovered on Sunday night, according to the police. Lefei Huang, a resident of El Monte, went missing on February 4 and was only discovered over the weekend after a member of the public flying a drone spotted her body on Friday. The search operations were severely hindered by the heavy snowstorms and high winds that have been affecting the high-altitude parts of California throughout the winter season.

Law enforcement agencies are using this incident as a warning to the public, urging them not to venture out alone in bad weather conditions. Huang had gone hiking just before an "atmospheric river" storm was expected to hit the West Coast, bringing historic levels of rain, flooding, and high levels of snow to the mountains. She departed alone for her hike at 2 p.m. on February 4 in the Mount Baldy area of the San Gabriel Mountains and was not seen again, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. The sheriff's department received a call at 11:14 p.m. on the same day and initiated a search at 2:30 a.m., but unfortunately, they found no trace of her.

Despite the heavy snowfall, search crews continued their efforts on February 6. However, they were forced to halt the search due to the risk of an avalanche. "The fact that our search and rescue crews are extremely well trained and they are unable to get there and search, that should give you an idea of the seriousness of the conditions," said Mara Rodriguez from the sheriff's department. "It doesn't matter if you are experienced or if you are an expert hiker, you can run into some issues," she added.

On Saturday, the U.S. Forestry Commission notified the sheriff's office that a body had been spotted by someone using a drone in the area. However, due to the hazardous conditions on the mountain, deputies were unable to reach the location where Huang was believed to be. Instead, they set up camp nearby for the night. On Sunday at 7:45 a.m., a rescue helicopter was able to hoist medics down to the upper San Antonio Creek Falls area, where they discovered Huang's body. Her body was then airlifted off the mountain.

The sheriff's department expressed gratitude to all the personnel and volunteers involved in the search efforts, as well as the citizen who alerted the U.S. Forestry Commission. They strongly urged everyone to stay away from mountain activities during the inclement weather. The statement emphasized that the weather conditions had effectively buried the mountain in snow, and it is highly likely that hikers will encounter trouble. Resources are stretched to their limits, and hikers who become lost may have to wait for extended periods before help can reach them.

The discovery of Huang's body comes in the midst of extreme weather conditions caused by an atmospheric river, which has brought heavy rain, snow, and life-threatening flooding to California. Mount San Antonio, commonly known as Mount Baldy, is located approximately 50 miles northeast of Los Angeles. On February 4, Los Angeles experienced its wettest day in almost 20 years, receiving a month's worth of rain in just one day. Prior to the discovery of Huang's body, at least nine weather-related deaths had been recorded in the state during the powerful storm.

Mount Baldy has been the site of various incidents where hikes and drives have gone awry. In June 2023, British actor Julian Sands was discovered dead on the mountain after going missing on a hike earlier that year. Additionally, a woman spent four nights trapped in her car after it toppled to the bottom of a California canyon.

As the search for Huang continues, authorities are urging residents to refrain from mountain activities during the ongoing inclement weather. The rapid floodwaters in California have placed residents in dangerous situations, with fire crews having to rescue three people who climbed into a tree to escape the flood in San Bernardino.